Masai Mara Game Reserve Favorites

4 more images

Favorite thing: Our Car had a small trouble while we were riding the rode from Narok towards Masai mara.
And within minutes the sky darkened and clouds rolled in for a short 10 minutes shower.
Shown below , my dughter enjoying with her raincoat on.

As we reached the Masai Mara Reserve gates, the rain was still drizzling a bit.
Seen here through a rain wiped windshield which makes up for a interesting picture.
We have been lucky to see most animals except the Rhino and the Leopard.There are short rains right in the morning before 8am or early afternoon between 3 and 4 pm. It means fairly hot day time an d pretty coldish late evenings ( one sweater-/ jacket/ pullover is enough)

Fondest memory: There are many fond memories:
It includes being surrounded by a pack of Elephants,
Zebras dancing next to the vehicle
The exquisite mating of Lions
A dance by a Masai team at 9.30 at night and
Giraffes looking at you from over the trees.

And that of a beautiful Masai girl with a beautiful smile.

Favorite thing: One disturbing thing kept bothering me during our safari and that was the large numbers of safari vehicles that would show up when a lion or other exciting animal was spotted. The drivers would radio each other and just like that , jeeps arrived from everywhere.

We learn the Mara has a large concentration of lions and we see several on our evening drive. For me they are probably the most exciting animal to see .

Unlike other areas we have been however ,there are many more vehicles here however and when we spot a lion they all show up.

I can’t help but wonder how disturbing this is to the animals and to think this isn’t even high season.

4 more images

Favorite thing: The wildebeest, also known as "gnu", is the most numerous inhabitant in Masai Mara. It's the least graceful antelope, and a strange creature with brown fur and black beard. It lookes like a hybrid between a skinny cow and a Taliban warrier. The animal is so weird that lions dislike hunting it. The exception is when lions fail to catch another animal. I have seen zebras being hunted by lions when they ran zigzag between the slower wildebeest for distraction. But no way, the lions picked the zebra.

Each year, in July, a large number of wildebeest migrate from Serengeti, Tanzania, in search for fresh grass. And they return to Serengeti in October. The number of wildebeests is estimated to nearly 2 mill in Serengeti and Masai Mara. They say it's important for the ecosystem because the dung fertilizes the ground. I have never seen so much *** on the ground before.

The wildebeest is 1,4 meters high and weigh between 150 and 250 kg. The female will have their calves in the summer. The Wildebeest can live for more than 20 years. Wildebeest are often misspelled as Wildbeast or Wilderbeast.

4 more images

Favorite thing: Ostrich is the largest bird in the world, although it can not fly. It has an African origin, where the breed is called Masaicus. The ostrich can run at a top speed of 70 km/h, which is faster than many predators.The food is mainly grass, plants and insects. When threatened, the ostrich will hide by lying flat against the ground, or run away. It can also attack with a kick from its powerful legs. Female ostriches are greyish-brown, white legs and weigh up to 130 kg. The males are mostly black/white, pink legs and weighing up to 155 kg.

4 more images

Favorite thing: There are almost 200,000 zebras in Masai Mara together with the wildbeast during the migration from July to September in search for fresh grass and pastures.

The socalled "Plains Zebra" inhabits Masai Mara. They can be up to 1,5 meter tall and weigh about 230 kg. The Plains zebra can be reconized by their short legs and thick body. (The other zebra in the nortern part of Kenya, the socalled "Grevy's Zebra", have a body more like a horse).

The Zebras group together in large herds with eachother and other grazing species, like the wildbeasts and gazelles. The Plains Zebra has a better stamina than a horse, but is slower. The top speed is 55 km/h, which was a bit too slow for the lions I saw in Masai mara (see the tip "lions eating a zebra").

4 more images

Favorite thing: The hippopotamus are found in shallow waters in Africa, and can be seen in Mara River (see photos). Male hippos are growing throughout their lives, and can weight up to 3,000 kg. The females stop growing at the age of 25 years, and can weight up to 1,500 kg. The hippos stay in the waters most of the day for sun protection. In addition some hippos have a red colored sunprotected secrete from the skin.
They are plant-eaters and have a peaceful appearance, but are very territorial and dangerous animals. The hippos are responsible for many human deaths in Africa. They can run faster than a human on land for a short period, between 30-40 km/h. And can move at the speed of 10 km/h in the water. Their teeth can be up to 50 cm long. African farmers and boatmen are in danger when approaching the animal.

4 more images

Favorite thing: There are a lot of giraffes in Masai Mara, and you can see them eating leaves of trees. They can eat 63 kg of leaves and twigs daily, but have more problems to drink because of the long neck. The giraffe which lives in Masai Mara has a jagged-edged, shaped spots of dark chocolate on a yellow background. The giraffe can be more than 5 meter tall and weigh up to 900 kg food.
The Giraffe can run fast, but not for a long distance due to the small size of the lungs. It defends itself by kicking with their enlarged forelegs at great force. The size of the giraffe's neck in combination with the leg length, is an advantage in defending against lion attacks.

4 more images

Favorite thing: The African Elephant is the largest land animal in the world, and reaches up to 6-7 meter in length and 3,5 meters in height. It weights between 5,000 and 10,000 kg. It eats up to 300kg of grass, leaves and bark each day, and drink 200 litres of water per day. It can run at a top speed of 40 km/h when scared or upset. Elephants are dangerous and cause 75% of human deaths from wildlife in Africa. The beer "Tusker" has it's name from the two prominent "tusks" of an elephant.